Monday, March 29, 2010

I have a problem with this Formula 1 season and Espnstar is to blame. Why, I want to know, just why have they changed their excellent opening track for Raceday and Chequered flag? It might seem trivial to you, but I have prepared myself for every race, over all these years, by bobbing my head to that racy track. The new track may not be bad but it isn't a speck on the old one. I wouldn't complain if I could get it off the internet, but I simply couldn't find it. Can anyone please help me find it?

Moving on, it appears like Alonso is the only teenage girl in this world who can drive the wheels off that Ferrari. Good for the team, bad for people like me. He praises the team, he praises the car, he praises the strategies, he drools over the team boss..just how hormonal can girls get?! Even I haven't, ever, gushed over Gary Oldman or Tesla like Alonso does while talking about Montezemolo. Really.

After Bahrain, I assumed Ferrari would run away with the championship this year. Vettel, I hoped, would take the driver's title. Then Australia happened. For me, the onset of the Australian GP induced a mix of joy, grief and fear. Joy, to see Vettel and Ferrari doing great. Grief, because I can't forget Kimi's first win with Ferrari, same place, three years back. And fear, because I don't like the condition of the Merc that Schumacher is driving. The buildup to the race was entertaining though, with the Hamilton man trying to impress women on the streets of Melbourne - and getting fined!

Getting down to the race itself, there was a world of change from Bahrain. Excellent maneuvers by Webber, Kubica , Roseberg, Hamilton(yech!) and a couple others, great battles between teammates, slight drizzle, a few wrong tyre-decisions and a small spray of accidents ; this race didn't let the fans down. The start was great for Vettel, Massa and Kubica, who wasted no time in darting to the first corner. The start wasn't good for me. Things were fine until Button decided to give Nando a li'l kiss on track. Their cars touched and Nando spun with joy : now only if he wouldn't knock down Michael's front wing and send him sliding off the track. While I tried to recover from this, two of my favorite rookies, Hulkenberg and Kobayashi, decided to park their cars in a spectacular fashion. Apart from a string of overtaking maneuvers and wild grass-rides, the race saw nothing significant happen until reliability issues struck the Red Bull again. This time, Vettel stopped a few meters shy of the barriers, after a brake failure. From there on, most cars played cat and mouse till the penultimate lap when things lit up for a moment. Webber touched Hamilton, ruining his race and Hamilton's chance for a podium. The final bit of action came from Schumi, as he overtook two cars, to land himself the final championship point. Button crossed the finish line with a rather butterball-ish John Travolta waving the chequered flag. Kubica took home a well deserved second. The Ferraris led by Massa, Rosberg and Hamilton came in 3-6.

In spite of things not going well for Vettel or Schumacher, I could appreciate this race. It was a fine trailer that demonstrated how exciting this season can be. I have my own concerns about the scoring system, but predictions and comments can be pushed for after two or three more races.

Looking forward to a better Merc and a reliable Red Bull in the next race, I'm also excited-giddy about the scene at Mclaren. While Whitmarsh praises Button's strategy, Hamilton blames the team for bad strategy. I'm glad there is enough action and drama to sustain Formula 1 this year. Despite what happens this season, I know I'll enjoy the races. I know I'll walk away from Steve Slater's jabber saying "I'm lovin' it!".